AL-PS-PI-AW said:
As we look forward to this merge with our friends at HP, I was wondering if any HP flight crews can shed some insight into what your trips look like. Do you guys have many long layovers? Lots of red-eyes? How are your hotels? Is it true that LAS is a base for only 30 reserve FAs? Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Im posting this on the US board because Im hoping some of my fellow US crews may have some info to share as well.
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Let's see if I can answer everything. This is a public board so I can't give specifics like hotel names, etc. If you ask any reserve questions, that's out of my realm. I'm a 20year F/A and reserve back when is completly different now.
LAS is a F/A reserve base only. It is however a pilot base. Some sit for the daytime flights, but most have to cover the late night banks.
Some cities have 2 hotels. One for short one for long. I'd have to look it up, but I think the time frame has to be 14.5 hours or longer to go to a long RON hotel.
JFK is one of the exceptions because of the travel time. It has to be over 17 hours to goto Manhattan.
Long layovers constantly change. YVR (Vancouver BC) is seasonal. The arrival that allows a long layover on a day trip is paired as a turn-around. The "nite-flites" that do a flip-flop probably have some longs. YVR is one of my top favs, but I have not had one at all this summer because of the way they're built.
There is a 10 hr, and an 17 hr for September., but I think the 17 is a nite flight flip flop. Meaning you're return puts you back on days.
SJD (Cabo) is rare anymore. If there is one, it's only once a week, and is only 10 hours! Combine that with customs, and it's just a big tease.
There is a 32 hour RON for SJO (Costa Rica)
Month to month transition can cause a few "only on" trips that have long layovers.
Everyone got excited because someone saw CLT in a pairing. It turned out to be a Deadhead on US for a charter positioning.
Hotels: Some are really nice, some are pure crap. They put out electronic bids and only pound the pavement when no one bids. There are site inspections of course when they are comparing hotels. We used to have a lot of specific contracted chains, but there are no more favorites. Most hotels are franchised, so the contracts are all local. Sudden hotel changes are rare. The hotel committee puts out a memo when contract renewal comes up. Sometimes that includes a note we are changing and the new hotel is yet TBD.
Pairings: there are over 40 pairings that are just turn days for Sept. and that's all a/c.
The Airbus and 737 are mixed pairings. Meaning you coud be on both a/c the same day. The 757 is seperate. The A320/737 line synopsis for Sept shows 128 lines that have some nite flying in them.
Bid packages publish on the 13th, due by the 17th, finalized by the 19th. We bid positons A, B, C, or D. WE DO NOT USE PBS. And our crew management software really sucks. I'm not sure I should say who the vendor is, but SWA uses it too.
I'll stop here so this is'nt too long, but ask more questions and I'll try to help out.